In February 2015, as part of a maths project, the students of Elsthorpe School set up some possum traps in the area to see what happened. The results may surprise you... Elsthorpe School is a small, rural school in central Hawke’s Bay with just over 40 students. It’s surrounded by beautiful … [Read more...] about School kids take on the possums
Success stories
A Different Kind of Dark Knight
Auckland Council biodiversity officer Ben Paris, aka NZ Batman, is on a mission; not to save Gotham by defeating criminal masterminds, but to protect our bat population (yes, we have bats) through education and conservation. Here, he takes on our bat questions. ‘NZ Batman’... was that title … [Read more...] about A Different Kind of Dark Knight
Ratatouille: Birkenhead’s Urban Rat Blitz
The suburb of Birkenhead sits on Auckland’s North Shore, with views across the Waitemata Harbour, thriving bush reserves, a bustling shopping village, and it’s just a few minutes’ drive over the Harbour Bridge to the central city. However, like many New Zealand neighbourhoods that border bushland … [Read more...] about Ratatouille: Birkenhead’s Urban Rat Blitz
Pestbusters: Bringing Back the Birdsong to Otatara
A few years ago Otatara resident Russell Evans underwent a heart bypass. While at home recuperating from the surgery, the bird sanctuary owner gazed out of his window at all the native tui and kererū and decided that more needed to be done to protect them. Otatara is a suburb of Invercargill, … [Read more...] about Pestbusters: Bringing Back the Birdsong to Otatara
A way forward for community led conservation by Julian Fitter
Maketu Ongatoro Wetland Society (MOWS) was started in 2009 to help look after the colony of New Zealand Dotterel on Maketu Spit. This then quickly morphed into an ecological restoration project through a Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP), funded by both councils and DOC, with MOWS providing the … [Read more...] about A way forward for community led conservation by Julian Fitter
Don’t get mad, get trapping
It could be a Tom Cruise blockbuster: one man leads an army into battle against thousands of relentless predators. However, it’s not a movie (yet) - it’s the true story of a Wellington neighbourhood working to rid itself of rats, mice, possums, stoats and weasels. “It’s a military exercise,” says … [Read more...] about Don’t get mad, get trapping
Caught in a Trap: Halo Takes on Wellington’s Predators
Ever heard a possum lurking outside your bedroom window in the middle of the night, breathing heavily, or a rat’s tiny feet scuttling across the roof overhead? Neither experience is pleasant. Instead, imagine hearing native birdsong, a mini bird sanctuary of dawn chorus in your own back yard. … [Read more...] about Caught in a Trap: Halo Takes on Wellington’s Predators
Going Native — Third Island rat catching with Goodnature by Paul Stanley Ward
I got a text from my mate Robbie, “Wanna come down Rakiura-Stewart Island and check some traps?” I’d never been to the ‘Third Island', and had heard enough raves about backyard kaka and beaches chocka with kiwi to make my answer obvious. This bird nerd was raring for a range in Rakiura. Robbie is … [Read more...] about Going Native — Third Island rat catching with Goodnature by Paul Stanley Ward
To Trap a Stoat: A Great Day Out in the Hills
By the eighth coffee and umpteenth chocolate chip biscuit I was feeling a little jumpy, and seriously doubting that we would ever leave base. Regular scanning of the horizon indicated that it was sunny and clear everywhere but where we wanted to go. The destination was the open tops of the Ruahine … [Read more...] about To Trap a Stoat: A Great Day Out in the Hills